Door latch



A08- 2 v 1927' s. A. wEsTr-'IELD DOOR LATCH Filed June 2l 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Attorney 1,637,366 AU8 2 1927' G. A. wEsTFlELD DOOR LATCH Filed June 2. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //L /91 ff l /ZZ A Inventor ,Gf/I. WstfI/eld,

Attorney Patented Aug. 2, 1927.

GUsrAv A. wEs'rrmLD, or man, onaGoN.

` noon Laren.

Application led Iune 2,

The present invention relates to a door.

latch and aims to provide improvements which produce an exceedingly efficient and reliable structure which is simple, inexpen- 5 sive to manufacture, easy to operate, not likely to readily become out of order, and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed. A

With' the above and numerous other ob- 10 jects in view as will appear as t he"`d escr1p tion proceeds, the invention resides 1n certain novel features of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described 15 and claimed. i

In the drawing n Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a door and door frame showing my improved latch structure associated therewith,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryelevation of .the door, showing the striking plate in section, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the strikin plate,

g. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section :5 thru the casing of the latch structure,

Fig, 5 is a transverse section therethrough, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the shafts of the latch structure. Referring to the drawings in detail, 1t will be seen that the numeral denotes a striker plate having a notch l6 formed therein, the entrance of which has its lower edge provided with an inclined surface 7. A right angular extension 8 is formed on the striking plate 5 so that it may be seated and fixed in the bottom of a recess 9 provided in a door frame 10 by means of suitable fastening elements 11.

` The latch structure is housed in a casing v12 of any preferred formation which may be embedded in the free end of the door in any preferred manner. An operating shaft 14 is journaled transversely through .the- /casing 12 and is operable by knobs or the like 15 on the outer ends thereof. A crank arm 16 extends from an intermediate portion of the operating shaft 14 and has attached thereto a link 17. The movement of the crank arm 16 is limited in one direction by means of a suitable stop 18 mounted in the top of the casing. An operated shaft 19 is journaled longitudinally in the casing 12 below the shaft 14 and is, therefore disposed at right angles to said shaft 14. One end of the operated shaft 19 extends through one 1926. Serial No. 118,218.

`thereto for engagement with the striker plate 7 asis clearly shown in Fig. 2,

A crank 21 extends' from the operated vshaft 19 and has its extremit engaged with the link 17. The downwar movement of the crank 21 is limited by a stop 22 rising from the bottom of the casing 12. A coiled spring 24 is wound about the operated shaft 19 and has one end engaged as at 25 with an end of the casing 12, while the other end thereof is engaged about the crank 21 as is indicated at 26. This spring normally holds the shaft 19 so that the crank arm 21 abuts the top 22, and holds the awl 20 in a position such as to be seate normally in the notch 6.

From the detailed description, as it has thus far progressed, it will be seen that when the door is closed, the pawl 20 will engage the inclined lower edge 7 of the to the notch 6 of the striking plate 5, thereby rocking the pawl as to rock the operated shaft 19 against the tension of the spring 24, and raise the crank arm 21 from the top 22 and when the pawl enters the notch, it will be forced into a locking position by means of the spring 24. When it is desired to release the structure from the striking plate 5, one of the knobs l5 may be rocked to likewise rock the operating shaft 14 so as to swing the crank arm 16,' thereby lifting upwardly on the link 17 so as to rock the crank arm 21 and rock the operated shaft to place the pawl 20 in a releasing position from the strikin plate 5.

It is thought t at the construction, operation, and advantages of his invention will now be clear to those skilled in this art without a more detailed description thereof. The'present embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail merely by way of example, since in actual practice it attains the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description. It is a parent that numerous changes in the detalls of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed, or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is A latch structure of the class described including, a casing, an operating shaft jourentrance l from the operated shaft, a

' ated shaft and engaged with the link, a coil spring disposed about the operated shaft having one end-fixed to the casing and the other end fixed to the crank arm extending awl-on the outer end of the operated sha plate having a, notch therein for the recepand a striker tion of theiawl, the entrance to the notch being provi ed at lts lower edge with an in clined surface leading u wardly thereto, 16

sal

said operated shaft an pawl being disposed in relation to each other so that said operated shaft will enter the notch first dragging the pawl behind it to engage the inclined surface to swing the pawl and the `2 operated shaft so that said pawl may enter the notch fully.

In testimonv whereof I aix my signature.

` GUSTAV A. WESTFIELD. 

